This invention relates to a process for the manufacture of aquatic bait blocks and, more particularly, to bait blocks employing hardening materials such as molasses or monosodium phosphate and lime.
Feedstuffs produced in block form are currently used to supplement the daily nutrient needs of cattle. The "cattle blocks" are processed by blending specific liquid and dry feedstuffs and adding a chemical catalyst to cause hardening of the mixture. The formed blocks, unlike other supplemental blocks, are capable of maintaining shape when exposed to natural outside environmental conditions. In addition, the cattle blocks can be produced in a wide range of weights, usually 50 to 500 pounds. Furthermore, the hardness of the block can be varied to withstand various environmental conditions to produce any desired rate of disintigration.
Illustrative of the cattle feed block technology is published United Kingdom application No. 2 086 707. The cattle-type blocks do not indicate the feasibility for use as aquatic bait.
Crustaceans and fish are caught in live catch traps using natural baits and manufactured baits. Natural baits such as scrap fish are effective attractants for capturing crustaceans and fish. However, natural baits are expensive and difficult to handle and store. Consequently, fishermen have been attempting to replace natural baits with lower-cost, manufactured baits. The manufactured bait is produced as large cubes, generally cylindirical in shape, and is used at a rate of 5 to 30 cubes per trap.
Manufactured cube baits have the advantages of easier handling and storage with longer shelf life than natural baits. However, manufactured baits often fail to provide the flexibility in rate of disintegration to meet the varying time schedules used by fishermen in collecting their daily catch and different water conditions. In addition, manufactured baits require more labor than natural baits because several cubes must be deposited in each trap compared to depositing one fish per trap. Furthermore, manufactured baits do not yield the same pounds of catch per trap as natural baits. Consequently, traps must be baited with both natural and manufactured baits, which increases the time spent baiting each trap and increases bait cost per trap.
A prior art search revealed the following references, which are briefly described hereinafter.
Gunter U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,007 references the use of fish extracts, sea water and organic binders which the inventive process does not require--sea water or any of the organic binders listed in the patent. Goldstein U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,162 uses plaster of paris (calcium sulfate) as a hardening agent to encapsulate freeze-dried fish extract. Neither of these products is used in the instant process. Orth U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,236 discusses the use of sugars common to molasses but used an extruder rather than chemicals to produce a formed bait block. Brown U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,896 appears to be a variation of the Orth patent, wherein the extruded food contains molasses. Enkura Japanese patent No. 149,597 uses calcium oxide (quicklime) but only in the presence of carbon dioxide gas to convert the calcium hydroxide to calcium carbonate. Molasses or sugars are not mentioned as necessary in the reaction. However, the patent does reference the use of fish solubles material blended with calcium oxide (quicklime).